Faculty Bibliography

Nobel wrote his will in Swedish a year before his death while he lived in Paris, and the portion dealing with the prizes was one long paragraph. It named the groups to make the awards: the Karolinska Institute (medicine), the Swedish Academy of Sciences (chemistry and physics), the Swedish Academy (literature) and the Norwegian Parliament (peace). Later, economics was added as a separate prize. Nobel was unhappy in love, never married and described himself as a loner. Mr. [Ragnar Sohlman] wrote that when one of Nobel's brothers asked for a biographical note, Nobel said about himself: ''Alfred Nobel -- a pitiful half-life which ought to have been extinguished by some compassionate doctor as the infant yelled its way into the world.'' The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901. Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen, top, won in physics for his discovery of X-rays, and [Emil von Behring] won in medicine for developing a diphtheria immunization. Alfred Nobel's will, below, which he drew up himself, was challenged in court by disinherited relatives. (Photo by Bettmann/Corbis); (Photo by Corbis); (Photo by Nobel Foundation)(pg. F6); THE BENEFACTOR -- [Alfred Nobel], shown in 1853, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, bequeathed the bulk of his estate to establish the prizes that bear his name. (Photo by Nobel Foundation)(pg. F1)

Cattle farmers are not thinking of the harmful effects of manure; they are concerned about selling their product. Sellers of organic fertilizer made from manure are hoping their product will grow vegetables, not concerned that it will contaminate water or spinach. Salad makers screen and cleanse their food but can't always afford the expensive equipment to detect the most elusive bacteria. There is also not enough separation between animal and animal products before they become human food. Multiple studies in the agricultural literature have shown that dairy cows shed harmful bacteria at variable rates. This shedding is dependent on several factors that could be controlled, including the animal's feed. Studies have shown that changing feed from grain to hay decreases the acidity in the gut of cows that allows bacteria to thrive. Because very small amounts of 0157:H7 can cause human infection and because shedding of the bacteria by cows is so variable, proper surveillance of manure is also crucial in preventing outbreaks. But sophisticated laboratory techniques that are most effective at detection are very expensive and not commonly used. Current agricultural attempts to contain manure and organic fertilizers at the farm are not sufficient to prevent occasional seepage into water supplies, which sparks outbreaks. E. coli 0157:H7 is a strain that produces a toxin that breaks down the lining of blood vessels, causing bloody diarrhea in humans and sometimes kidney failure. Because cows lack the receptor on their cells to absorb the toxin, they don't show symptoms that they are carriers of the bacteria

Nip-Tuck [Television Program] -- As to whether [Sean McNamara] should operate on his own child, [James P. Bradley] bucks conventional wisdom. Most doctors say that the lack of emotional distance interferes with medical judgment and surgical precision. But Bradley disagrees, asserting that such a decision isn't unwise as long as the doctor is qualified. 'A good surgeon can learn to suspend the emotional component,' Bradley says. 'If you're the best-trained surgeon for the procedure, then you're the one to do it.' ECTRODACTYLY, often known as lobster claw syndrome or split hand/ foot malformation, is fairly common, with six cases per 10,000 human births. All forms are associated with at least one genetic mutation, one of the most frequent (Type 1) caused by a mutation on chromosome 7. Ectrodactyly often occurs in common with other congenital anomalies -- such as a cleft lip and palate, and ectodermal dysplasia (hair, skin and nail deformities). In 'Nip/Tuck,' McNamara views a photograph of a hand with ectrodactyly and contemplates [Connor]'s surgery

E. Coli is a common bacteria; trillions of strains that don't make us ill thrive and multiply in our intestines. But the 0157:H7 strain, which has been found in cow intestines, makes a toxin that damages human blood vessels and can cause blood clots and damage kidneys, especially in children. Cows don't have the receptors in their blood vessels to pick up the toxin, so they are asymptomatic carriers. What to do about the bacteria? Some studies suggest that feeding cattle hay rather than grain, or injecting them with 'pro-biotic' bacteria may help to reduce the prevalence of 0157:H7. At the national level, we need more integrated food-safety measures, a better way to coordinate the FDA and the USDA animal and food inspections. This could be accomplished by a new food-safety agency that acts as a bridge, or by expanded regulatory roles in both the FDA and the USDA

The 157:H7 strain of E Coli, which can populate the intestines of cows, makes a toxin that damages human blood-vessel lining, causing bloody diarrhea. It can also lead to blood clots and kidney failure, especially in children. Cows lack the toxin receptors in their blood vessels, and so are asymptomatic carriers. The manure from infected cows can contaminate ground water or organic fertilizer. Since very small amounts are necessary for human infection, it is fairly easy to cause a limited outbreak, especially in farms that rely on manure for fertilizer. There have been at least 11 outbreaks of this E Coli in salad foods since 1995. No one knows the exact mechanism in each case, but possibilities include contaminated water, equipment or fertilizer. In 1999, nearly 1,000 people were infected, and at least two died after consuming water (believed to be contaminated by manure after a heavy rain) at a county fair in upstate N.Y

The four other Lasker winners are Dr. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 57, of the University of California at San Francisco; Dr. Carol W. Greider, 45, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Dr. Jack W. Szostak, 53, of Harvard Medical School; and Dr. Joseph Gall, 78, of the Department of Embryology at the Carnegie Institution in Baltimore

In making those advances, Dr. [Aaron T. Beck] set a new standard for determining the effectiveness of any type of psychotherapy, the Lasker jury said, by testing his radical new methods in clinical studies with a degree of rigor not previously applied to any form of talk therapy, including Freudian psychoanalysis. Dr. Beck published much of his work in his own journal, Cognitive Therapy and Research, in part because other psychiatrists resisted, if not rejected, his findings. The four other Lasker winners are Dr. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 57, of the University of California, San Francisco; Dr. Joseph Gall, 78, of the Department of Embryology at the Carnegie Institution, Baltimore; Dr. Carol W. Greider, 45, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and Dr. Jack W. Szostak, 53, of Harvard Medical School. The awards to those four were made in two categories. Three of the recipients were cited for discoveries involving the structure and function of chromosomes, which are the strands of genes in cells that pass on hereditary information. Dr. Blackburn, Dr. Greider and Dr. Szostak are sharing the Lasker basic medical research award for predicting the existence of telomerase, and then discovering it. Telomerase is an enzyme that replenishes the tips of chromosomes

Four million people in the world became infected with H.I.V. last year, raising to 40 million the number now living with the virus that causes AIDS. Though governments, foundations and others are spending billions of dollars each year, the United Nations and AIDS experts say billions more are needed for drugs to help infected people in poor countries and for measures to prevent others from becoming infected. The Stephen Lewis Foundation of Toronto showed considerable imagination. The foundation, created by Mr. Lewis, the United Nations special envoy for AIDS in Africa, conducted a highly successful grass-roots gathering of about 300 African and Canadian grandmothers over the three days before the AIDS conference. African grandmothers who have lost children to AIDS and are now caring for their grandchildren described their lives to Canadian grandmothers (very few of whom are dealing with AIDS in their immediate families). The AIDS conferences, held every two years, aim to bridge science, politics and a number of other fields. The International AIDS Society's duty extends beyond holding conferences, said Dr. Pedro Cahn, an Argentine AIDS expert who is the group's new president. ''We have to raise our voice,'' Dr. Cahn said of the scientists who are the society's leaders

Invincible [Motion Picture] -- VINCE PAPALE (Mark Wahlberg) is a 30-year-old teacher and part- time bartender with only one year of high school football experience, when Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), the new coach of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, decides to hold open tryouts. Papale, possessed of more persistence and enthusiasm than pure physical ability, tries out -- and manages to make the team, avoid major injury despite using light shoulder pads and even star in an NFL game by scoring the winning touchdown. [Ray Didinger] thinks that Papale's relatively 'fresh' body was a big asset, however. 'Papale didn't have the cumulative damage, he didn't have the scarring in his knees and shoulders that the other players had,' he says. Sports medicine research has found a raised risk of arthritis in the knees, hips and ankles of such players; Didinger estimates that more than 90% of professional footballers have significant knee and shoulder scarring. Although it may seem paradoxical, [Michael L. Gross] believes that the thin, less-protective shoulder pads also might have helped Papale because they increased his maneuverability and agility and helped him to avoid injury. (In the 1970s, when Papale was playing, all shoulder pads were light compared with today's.)